Coal producer to pay record fine for water pollution

WASHINGTON – One of the nation’s largest coal producers will pay a $27.5 million fine and spend $200 million to reduce illegal toxic discharges into hundreds of waterways across five Appalachian states, according to a proposed settlement Wednesday.

The agreement includes the largest fine ever for violations of water pollution permits, with many of the violations reported by the company to state environmental officials. The Associated Press obtained details about the settlement before it was filed Wednesday in federal court in West Virginia.

The discharges occurred at mines and coal processing plants in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

“This is the largest one, period,” Cynthia Giles, head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement office, told the AP. “It’s the biggest case for permit violations for numbers of violations and size of the penalty, which reflects the seriousness of violations.”

The government says that between 2006 and 2013, Alpha Natural Resources Inc. and dozens of subsidiaries violated water pollution limits in state-issued permits more than 6,000 times. They discharged heavy metals and other contaminants harmful to fish and other wildlife from nearly 800 outfall pipes directly into rivers, streams and tributaries, according to the government. There is no evidence that any of the violations contaminated drinking water, EPA officials said.

Monitoring records attached to the complaint show that in some cases, the releases exceeded permit limits by as much as 35 times.

Under the agreement, the mine operators will install wastewater treatment systems and take other measures aimed at reducing discharges from 79 active coal mines and 25 coal-processing plants in those five states.

Bristol, Va.-based Alpha, the nation’s third-largest coal supplier, estimates those steps will cost about $200 million.

Gene Kitts, Alpha’s vice president for environmental affairs, said the company, which has 700 state water permits and 5,000 different discharge points, is in compliance with the Clean Water Act 99.8 percent of the time.

“That’s a strong record of compliance,” Kitts said in a statement. “But our goal is to do even better.”

Advocacy groups said authorities needed to do more to prevent the pollution from occurring in the first place.

“Levying fines after the fact does nothing for the communities and waterways already harmed,” said Mary Anne Hitt, director of the Sierra Club’s coal campaign.